As most people around the world probably know by now, there is a volcanic eruption going on in Iceland.

In the spring of 2008, 5 members of Mezzoforte spent a few days in a summer house in southern Iceland to write music for the album which is currently in the works. The nearness of Iceland’s best known and most active volcano Hekla (in plain view just a few kilometers away) sparked the idea for a song called Sleeping Volcano. Written collectively by the band, the song was recorded later the same year in Vestmannaeyjar (another highly volcanic place in Iceland).

During our stay in the summer house we were reminded of the awesome and unpredictable power of the Mid Atlantic Ridge when an earthquake measuring 6,1 on the Richter Scale shook the wooden house so violently that we could barely keep our balance to run outside.

Little did we know that before long another neigbouring volcano under the glacier Eyjafjallajökull, less than 50 kilometers away, would erupt with the devastating consequences we see today.

The members of Mezzoforte have not been directly affected by the eruption since prevaling winds are blowing the ash away from the capital Reykjavik. However our travel plans, like those of so many others, may well be disrupted if the eruption goes on for weeks, months or even years…